Sports18
An Indian sports television network operated by Viacom18 from 2022 until its discontinuation in 2025.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Sports18 was an Indian pay-television sports network established by Viacom18 and launched on 15 April 2022. The brand was created to provide a dedicated broadcast home for sports properties acquired or held by Viacom18 in India, supplementing the company's wider television, digital, and entertainment businesses. Its programming portfolio included major domestic and international-facing sports rights, with particular emphasis on cricket and football. The network's documented programming included the Indian Premier League, the Women's Premier League, home matches of the Indian national cricket team, the Indian Super League, and home matches of the Indian football team. These rights positioned Sports18 across both high-value cricket broadcasting and Indian football coverage. The channel group operated as a pay-television offering rather than as a sports club, league, or equipment brand; its core product was the packaging and distribution of live sports events and related television programming. Sports18 belonged to Viacom18, the Indian media joint venture associated with the Network18 Group and international media interests. The brand therefore formed part of a broader media portfolio rather than operating as an independent listed company. Public reference material identifies the network primarily through its channels and sports programming, and does not establish a separate corporate headquarters, founder, chief executive, or standalone financial reporting for Sports18 itself. The network's operating life was relatively short. On 15 March 2025, Sports18 was discontinued and its channels were integrated into the Star Sports Network. This ended Sports18 as a standalone sports-channel identity and transferred its channel presence into another established Indian sports television network. Accordingly, Sports18 is best understood as a discontinued Viacom18 sports-broadcasting sub-brand whose principal historical significance lies in its role in the distribution of prominent Indian cricket and football competitions during the early 2020s.
History
Sports18 emerged as Viacom18's dedicated sports television network in India. It began broadcasting on 15 April 2022, at a time when sports rights were an important part of the competition among Indian television and digital-media operators. Rather than representing a sports team or league, Sports18 functioned as a group of pay-television channels designed to aggregate and distribute live sporting events. The network's programming covered two especially important areas of Indian sports media. In cricket, its listed properties included the Indian Premier League, the Women's Premier League, and home matches of the Indian national cricket team. In football, the network carried the Indian Super League and home matches of the Indian national football team. This combination gave Sports18 exposure to both the country's most commercially prominent cricket competitions and its leading domestic football competition. Sports18 was a Viacom18 brand and did not have a separately documented public corporate structure, stock listing, financial disclosure, or executive roster. Its identity was tied to the sports rights and channels operated within the Viacom18 media portfolio. The available reference material describes its Indian market role but does not establish a broader international operating footprint. The brand's standalone history ended on 15 March 2025. On that date, the Sports18 network was discontinued and its channels were integrated into the Star Sports Network. The change removed Sports18 as an independent channel-network identity and placed the relevant channel operations under the Star Sports branding. Sports18 therefore had a short operating history of roughly three years, beginning with its 2022 launch and ending with the 2025 integration.
Products and positioning
Sports18 was positioned as a dedicated Indian sports television network, using Viacom18's sports-media rights to distribute premium cricket and football competitions through pay television.
Pay-television sports network · 2022
Sports18 television channels
The core Sports18 offering was a group of Indian pay-television sports channels. The network packaged live event coverage and associated sports programming under the Sports18 identity, with listed coverage spanning major cricket and football properties. The channels operated as part of Viacom18's media portfolio rather than as a separately incorporated consumer product brand.
Sports broadcasting · 2022
Cricket programming
Sports18's listed cricket programming included the Indian Premier League, the Women's Premier League, and home matches of the Indian national cricket team. These properties formed a central part of the network's sports-rights proposition and connected the channel brand with high-profile Indian cricket audiences.
Sports broadcasting · 2022
Football programming
Sports18's listed football programming included the Indian Super League and home matches of the Indian football team. This gave the network a role in distributing both domestic league football and national-team fixtures.
Brand decisions
2025
Integration into the Star Sports NetworkStrategyBackground
Sports18 operated as Viacom18's standalone sports-channel identity from 2022, carrying major cricket and football properties in India.
Action taken
On 15 March 2025, the Sports18 network was discontinued and its channels were integrated into the Star Sports Network.
Aftermath
Sports18 ceased to operate as a standalone sports television brand. The available reference material does not provide further details about the commercial or audience effects of the integration.
Recent events
- 2025
Sports18 channels discontinued and integrated into Star Sports[1]
Other
On 15 March 2025, the Sports18 network was discontinued and its channels were integrated into the Star Sports Network, ending Sports18's operation as a standalone sports-channel brand.
- 2022
Sports18 network launches in India[1]
Product launch
Viacom18 launched the Sports18 network on 15 April 2022 as a group of Indian pay-television sports channels carrying selected cricket, football, and other sports programming.
Sources2 sources
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